Web of Deceit
by ordinaryguy2
Summary: The Marvel Multiverse faces a threat of unprecedented proportions. Story by Carycomic
1. Chapter 1

**WEB OF DECEIT**

**by Carycomic **

**Synopsis:** _the Marvel Multiverse faces a threat of unprecedented proportions_

**Characters and concepts:** _if you recognize them, I don't own or profit from them._

I am Uatu. One of a race of beings collectively known as the Watchers. It is our self-appointed duty to observe and record everything that transpires throughout the universe... and sometimes beyond.

Of the countless worlds I have watched, I find the planet Earth most fascinating. For I never cease to be amazed at the resiliency of its inhabitants. At their almost-limitless resolve to never give up, no matter what kind of adversity they face. Nor do I exaggerate when I use the words "_almost limitless_". For I have seen that resolve duplicated as many times as there are counterparts of Earth throughout the multiverse!

Take, for example, Earth-2149.

The human survivors of that zombie-plagued world wound up being teleported en masse, by their resident counterpart of Dr. Doom, to the relative safety of Earth-9151. A similarly once-thriving world that had been left equally barren of life. Although, not by the undead. But, rather, by the Seven Sons of Set. Demonic spawn of a so-called "_Elder God_"! Fortunately, however, there is such a thing in the multiverse as poetic justice. For, not only are these refugees thriving, and gradually rebuilding civilization, upon their new homeworld. They will also never have to fear the return of the Seven Sons of Set. Primarily, because, when the latter eventually departed Earth-9151, searching for greener pastures to despoil...,

...only one of them managed to survive its interdimensional journey.

The First was decapitated, from the inside out, when it made the mistake of trying to devour Charles "The Juggernaut" Xavier on Earth-905.

The Second was eviscerated by the superhuman lycanthropes of Earth-7085.

And the Third was obliterated by Immortus of Limbo on Earth-9904. Yet, only after it was lured there by Tony "_Mechamage_" Stark. The Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-9810! For, as he was collaterally descended from the Set-worshipers of Starkesboro, Massachusetts, he could not risk a direct confrontation with the Third. Lest he instantly fall under its psionic sway.

The Fourth was incinerated- -along with everything else in the universe of Earth-81727- -when a grief-maddened Jean Grey permanently transformed into an ever-expanding Dark Phoenix.

The Fifth was disintegrated (along with the rest of the universe of Earth-82432) by a cosmically enhanced cyborg, named Korvac, using the stolen Ultimate Nullifier of Galactus.

While the Sixth met an arguably more humane fate, on Earth-83234, when it was gravitationally assimilated, by Morton "_The Black Hole_" Kribbee, in an act of altruistic self-sacrifice... as a member of that world's Freedom Force!

The Seventh, alone, proved more fortunate than its siblings. Primarily, because it did something they had not. It forged an alliance of convenience with Kevin "_Proteus_" McTaggart. A non-corporeal mutant with the ability to psychokinetically alter all reality within his immediate vicinity! Although, doing so required a human host for his psionic essence. And, as a rule, human hosts were burnt out by his energies far too quickly.

Hence, his alliance with the Seventh Son of Set. It would allow him to share its nigh-indestructible body for the rest of all time. In return, he would use his now-mystically enhanced mutant ability to soften up other parallel Earths... for invasion and conquest.

**tbc**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

The downfall of Earth-9151 had been partially achieved through the contamination of that world's drinking water by viruses that had been genetically engineered from the DNA of a snake-like mutant called Slither. Consequently, ninety-nine percent of the world's population were turned into veritable clones of that mutant! One of whom was an Englishman named James Jasper McTaggerrt. The illegitimate half-brother of Joseph McTaggert.

Proteus' biological father.

It was this genetic relationship, combined with the mutagenic metamorphosis, that inadvertently led to J.J. McTaggert becoming a replacement host for his nephew's psionic essence. And it was shortly after the Seventh had devoured the former (along with hundreds of millions of other so-called "_Serpent Men_") that Proteus chose to make himself known to his new host. Thereby leading to the aforementioned alliance!

Unfortunately, for them, their initial effort on Earth-21117 met with only limited success. As there, they only managed to fully reptilianize the western coast of the United States, using a mind-controlled Curt "_The Lizard_" Connors. They enjoyed slightly greater success, however, on Earth-81999. For the universe of that parallel world was basically a divergent reality that they had created from the universe of Earth-20476! Said divergence resulting from their use of a time machine, invented by a mind-controlled Kerwin Kronus, for a journey back to the Mesozoic Era.

There, on the primeval super-continent of Pangea, they discovered an experimental colony that had been established by the extra-terrestrial Kree. The entire population of which they subsequently transformed into subservient Serpent Men known as "The Hyssta!"

Yet, for every success thereafter, they suffered twice as many setbacks. For example: on Earth-28918, they had telepathically guided the Red Skull (disguised as Capt. America) to those individuals who posed the biggest potential threat to his post-World War Two rule. Costing that world the first generation of modern superheroes now so taken for granted by yours! When he had outlived his usefulness in that regard, however, Proteus and the Seventh secretly arranged for the Red Skull's overthrow by the real Captain America and a short-lived version of the Avengers. Tragically, that victory was a Pyrrhic one. One that made Proteus and the Seventh confident they could easily move in and fill the power vacuum.

Only to be prevented from doing so by David "_Sundown_" Lowell and the Capt. Universe Corps (a Uni-powered Madrox the Multiple Man).

Likewise, when they secretly inspired Thanos of Titan into making all of Earth-989112 a duplicate of the Antarctic Savage Land (using an ancient terraforming device of the mysterious Beyonders), their subsequent take-over bid was thwarted, at the last moment, by the cosmic-powered horticulturist known only as "_The Gardener of the Universe_." Thus began the formulation of their most convoluted plan, yet. One involving an individual who would be the first to quip that my people have too much time on their hands! And, yet, who partially uses that droll sense of humor to ease the never-ending burden that comes with knowing that great power is always accompanied by great responsibility. This is the story of how the Amazing Spider-Man. . .

. . .became the only male member of FemForce.

**tbc**

**Earth-81727:** parallel world on which the Phoenix Force (still disguised as the real Jean Grey) did not commit altruistic suicide. But, instead, eventually went completely emo! Depicted in WHAT IF...? vol. 1 #27, July 1981.

**Earth-82432:** parallel world on which Korvac not only killed off all the Avengers and Silver Age GOTG. But, also, turned them into totally obedient slaves! Depicted in WHAT IF...? vol. 1 #32, April 1982.

**Earth-83234:** parallel world to which Howard the Duck was never brought as he was never "_ab-duck-ted_" from his home world in the first place. Thereby causing all the resident counterparts of those who met him, on Earth-616, to inadvertently _benefit_ from his absence! Depicted (as a "Xmas Carol" parody) in Marvel's BIZARRE ADVENTURES #34, Feb. 1983.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3. **

"_For want of a nail, the shoe was lost._

_For want of a shoe, the horse was lost._

_For want of a horse, the rider was lost._

_For want of a rider, the message was lost._

_For want of a message, the battle was lost._

_And all for the want of a nail!"_

This old (and frequently rephrased) Earth poem describes how even the most minor consequences can combine and compound to change the world in major ways. Sometimes, for the better. And sometimes... not.

For example: on Earth-774, history diverged when the scientists named Reed Richards and Charles Xavier permanently cured their colleague, Bruce Banner, of being the Hulk. Consequently, they decided to remain research partners on a permanent basis. They subsequently formed a "think tank" called BRX Research, Inc. and, thereby, deprived this world of its own counterparts of the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-men. For, with the Fantastic Four effectively disbanded, Jonathan Storm was able to go to college much earlier than he did on Earth-616. Ergo; he never discovered an amnesiac Sub-mariner in a certain Bowery flophouse. Which, in turn, not only prolonged the frozen sleep of the legendary Captain America. It also allowed a renegade SHIELD agent called the Black Commando to be more successful at killing this world's Dr. Doom than the Shroud of Earth-616 had been in killing his!

Likewise, without a "_school for gifted youngsters_" to attend, German mutant Kurt Wagner wound up joining the Morlocks of Manhattan as a result of their rescuing him from veritable enslavement by the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime.

It was left to other superheroes to fill the gap by banding together against those public menaces too powerful for conventional authorities. One such super-group was the Federal Emergency Missions Force. Two of whose members were currently arriving at Kennedy International Airport, in New York City, in a paramedical ambulance!

Sitting behind the steering wheel was Valerie Kirk; a woman with long red hair and brown eyes who was better known, among her FemForce teammates, as Colt the Weapons Mistress. While sitting beside her, in the ironically named "_shotgun seat_", was a slightly older woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes. A woman wearing a white smock with a white badge over the right lapel pocket. A badge with black lettering that read: "Dr. Carol Heisler."

"How long before her flight lands?" the latter now asked.

"ETA, five minutes," replied Colt.

Meanwhile, in a nearby terminal, Peter Parker, a free-lance photojournalist for THE DAILY BUGLE, was treating the two most important women in his life to a late lunch while waiting for the arrival of a mutual friend.

"Peter!" exclaimed the older of those two women. "Are you sure you can afford all this?"

"Positive, Aunt May! When it comes to handing out bonuses, Jolly Jonah might have a tighter grip than Spidey, himself. But, even he couldn't deny how once-in-a-lifetime that snapshot was."

"I couldn't agree more," replied Mary Jane Watson-Parker, Peter's lovely redheaded wife. "In fact, this photo will probably become even more iconic than the flag-raising on Iwo Jima!"

Six months earlier, a laboratory explosion at BRX Research, Inc. had caused Benjamin Grimm to mutate into a massively powerful superhuman with an orange, rock-like epidermis... and an emotionally explosive temperament. As a result, the U.S. Armed Forces had organized a special inter-service task force to pursue and capture him under the code name "_Operation: Rockhound_." Yet, in the end, it was not they who wound up capturing him. It was Spider-man and one other. The one who had proven literally unyielding while being pummeled over and over again by Grimm. With the photograph of that impasse having been published by THE DAILY BUGLE on the front page, along with the headline:

"LEGENDARY HERO BATTLES MONSTROUS THING."

The red-and-blue living legend known as... Captain Paragon.

"What happened after you took that shot?" Mary Jane now asked. "May and I never got to see as all the TV news crews were among the dozens of on-lookers forcibly evacuated by the cops."

Peter modestly shrugged.

"Nothing much. While Cap kept the Thing's attention focused on him, I crept up from behind and covered his entire head in triple-thick webbing! The Thing, I mean. Not Cap! Of course, the Thing would've torn the webbing off in a good five minutes or less. But Cap didn't give him that opportunity. Instead? He leaped behind the Thing and pinned his arms behind him in a full-Nelson. Keeping him like that until he passed out from lack of oxygen! Then, this new guy appeared. Commando D. He phased up through the street like a freaking ghost! Right after which, he pointed this weird-looking ring at the Thing. A ring that shot out this big beam of yellow light... that immediately shrank the Thing down to the size of a gnat. Before drawing him inside it like a tractor beam on STAR TREK!"

"And?" prompted his wife, "What happened next?"

"I don't know. When I asked where they were going to take him, Cap said- -quite apologetically, of course- -that that was on a need-to-know basis, only."

"Hmph!" snorted Aunt May in resentment. "Of all the ungrateful nerve!"

Peter shrugged again. "It's probably just as well. After all-"

Whatever else he was about to say was cut off by the shout of a familiar, and decidedly male, voice. Whereupon, the trio turned as one and looked towards the entrance to the cafeteria. Approaching them through it was Eugene "_Flash_" Thompson and a woman they presumed to be the aunt he had been telling them about, during his last telephone call from Orlando, Florida. For she was about May Parker's age, with the same silvery shade of gray hair. Yet, she was wearing much more expensive-looking clothes than Peter's aunt!

It was Mary Jane -ever the actress- who recognized that woman first.

"I don't believe it. Stella Stargaze is his aunt?!"

Meanwhile, back in the ambulance, Colt the Weapons Mistress clutched at her teammate's right shoulder.

"Carol! Trouble! One o'clock high."

Carol Heisler looked to her right and gasped. Because, at the end of a nearby runway, a tremendously huge figure was emerging from the neighboring wetlands. A masked figure dressed in a brown-and-golden-orange costume; and one hundred feet tall, at least.

"Erik Josten," muttered Carol. "A.k.a. Atlas."

**tbc**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. **

**JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,**

**NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK.**

"Attention!" the public address system suddenly started blaring. "Attention! The super-villain called Atlas has been seen emerging from the wetlands at the edge of the main runway. All passengers and employees are to evacuate by the nearest exits as quickly-but-calmly as possible. This is not a drill. Repeat: this is not a drill! All passengers and employees are to evacuate the terminal, immediately."

Peter Parker, his Aunt May, and his wife MaryJane had been conversing with Flash Thompson and his aunt, talk-show hostess Stella Stargaze, about the latter having been born Stella Thompson before she entered show business as a magician's assistant. Then, Peter's notorious '_spider-sense_', began tingling. Generically warning him of impending danger. But, the specific explanation provided by the PA system allowed him to withdraw his trusty Leica camera at almost the same instant.

"MJ, you and Flash get these ladies to safety as fast as possible. Me? I've got to get some action pics for Jonah. You know how he feels about his employees resting on their laurels too long!"

"You heard him, Aunt May. Ms. Stargaze. Follow me!"

"B-B-But, my luggage...!" the haughty silver-haired celebrity stammered in protest.

"No time to argue, Aunt Stella," replied Flash. "We gotta move. Now!"

At that same moment, Carol Heisler had doffed her white medical smock to reveal her green leotard with matching moccasins. Both items of clothing made from a polymer of unstable molecules that had been commercially dubbed "SpandeXX" by its inventors (BRX Research, Inc.). Thus, in the literal blink of an eye, Carol transformed into the hundred-foot-tall superheroine more commonly known as... Garganta.

"Hello, there, Big Boy!" she cooed, arms akimbo. "What brings you here?"

"Out of my way, Broadzilla!" snarled Atlas. "I've got some private business with an incoming flight. So, stand aside; or become my doormat."

"For shame!" replied Garganta. "That's no way to talk to a lady."

Whereupon, she spun about clockwise, one hundred eighty degrees, and kicked him. Not once; not twice; but, thrice! The first kick landing in his midriff. The second one, in his groin. And the third one impacting with his lower jaw! And Colt the Weapons Mistress, who had taught her martial arts at normal size, grinned with approval as she witnessed this through binoculars.

Yet, Atlas had not been rendered unconscious.

"First blood to you, sweetheart," he snarled once more. "It's last blood that wins the fight, though!"

Whereupon, he sprang back on to his feet and charged forward like an NFL defensive tackle. Garganta, however, had anticipated that move. She therefore __let__ herself be tackled! Using Atlas' own momentum to send her flat on to her back and, then, kick upward with both legs together.

Thereby hurling Atlas up and over her, so that it became his turn to land flat on his back.

"Wow!" muttered Colt. "If those two keep this up any longer, this runway is going to look like the Plains of Nazca."

At that same moment, Atlas was getting to his feet even more slowly than the first time. Though, not because he was in any way disabled. Indeed, Garganta

could not help feeling a little uneasy at seeing him smile.

"My compliments to your sensei, whoever that might be. But, I've had some martial arts training, too. Hee-yah!"

Once more, Atlas charged forward. Only, this time, he threw himself forward into a somersault. And when he emerged from it, he leaped towards Garganta in a flying scissors kick! Basically, feinting with his left leg... while actually connecting with the foot of his right. This in turn, caused the blonde giantess to stagger backward, temporarily dazed. So, Atlas did not hesitate to follow up on his momentary advantage. Once more, he somersaulted forward. But, when he came out of, this time, he spun about counterclockwise, one hundred eighty degrees...

...and drove his left elbow into Garganta's midriff. Thereby driving the wind out of her. This, in turn, caused her to bend forward, just enough, that he was able to grab her in a reverse headlock and throw her flat on __her__ back!

"Close, but no cigar, sweetheart," chortled the giant super-villain as he raised his right boot above her face. Obviously intending to bring it down right on the bridge of her nose!

That is, till he felt something ram into the heel of his left boot.

The source of that distraction was Spider-man. After taking advantage of the understandably deserted baggage-handling warehouse, to change into his costume, he confiscated one of their electric trams and drove it, at full speed, to the scene of the titanic battle. Seconds before crashing it, however, he leaped upward. Using the tram's forward momentum to reach the top of Atlas' left boot!

He then slung a web line toward the sole of Atlas' still-upraised right boot. Swinging up and over the toe region at least half a dozen times before Atlas finally noticed him.

"Hey! Get off of me, wall-crawler. Get off... or get squished!"

"You haven't got the guts," the webslinger retorted in challenge.

"How about I show you yours?"

Whereupon, Atlas- -quite literally- -put his foot down. But, in doing so, the webbing adhered his right leg to the asphalt surface of the runway. Just as Spider-man had planned! Of course, the latter had jumped off, at the penultimate moment, in order to sling a second web line. One aimed upward at Atlas' belt buckle. This, he used as a staging area for the slinging of a third web line. One he used to circumnavigate Atlas' left hip... and on to the small of his back just above the coccyx.

Spider-man's ensuing run, up Atlas' spinal column, produced a tickling sensation that distracted the giant mercenary, once again. Which is to say that he went from trying to tear loose his boot to blindly trying to grab at the webslinger with either hand! These seemingly random actions had a constructive purpose, however.

They gave Garganta enough time to recover her second wind and regain her feet. Whereupon, she once more kicked Atlas in his groin! Only, this time, with her left foot. And the second he doubled over, she put his head in a sleeper hold. Not letting go until he was well and truly unconscious. This, of course, caused him to automatically shrink back to normal human-size. Leaving Garganta free to do the same.

It was at this moment that Colt drove up in the paramedical ambulance.

"That was awesome! But, what happened to the wall-crawler? I wanted to thank him for his help."

"I don't know. Maybe he's got a modesty complex like the Lone Ranger. Still, given how many superheroes call this town '_home_', we'll probably be running into him again before we know it! What about the lady lawyer?"

"Being safely transported to Manhattan General Hospital, by the real paramedics, even as we speak. So, as soon as the cops take Atlas into custody, we can return to the safe house."

"Great! I'm going to need a nice hot shower for these bruised muscles of mine. Stat!"

In less than five minutes, the NYPD SWAT team known as '_Code Blue_' had removed Eric Josten from the scene of the colossal conflict. Leaving Colt free to keep her promise. The aforementioned safe house turning out to be a decommissioned firehouse that had been secretly purchased by the FBI. And which they had loaned to these two members of FemForce for the time being.

Yet, no sooner had Carol Heisler entered the master bathroom, to activate the shower, than Colt heard her scream at the top of her lungs! Prompting the Weapons Mistress to draw her twin Encomcs and run into the bathroom.

"Carol, what is it? What's wrong?"

The slightly older blonde woman, now clad only in a white towel, pointed at the floor.

"A tarantula fell out of my costume!"

"A tarantula?!"

"Either that or a South Bronx cockroach!"

"Actually," replied a somewhat faint voice from above them. "I'm from Forest Hills in Queens."

Both women looked up towards the ceiling... to behold a three-inch tall Spider-man dangling upside-down.

**tbc**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. **

**FORT DITKO, NEW JERSEY**

Thaddeus "_Thunderbolt_" Ross was one of the last of his generation. A major general in the USAF who had started out as a U.S. Army officer.

This was primarily due to his having graduated from West Point in the spring of 1947. Roughly three months before Congress established the Air Force! His ex-roommate, Richard Gordon, had opted to stay with the Army, however. Ultimately rising to the rank of brigadier general, and serving as FemForce's military coordinator. With Captain Thomas Kelly (_brother of Vice-President Robert Kelly_) serving as his adjutant.

General Ross, on the other hand, had spent the previous six months as the commanding officer of Operation: Rockhound. With Colonel Roberta Strock (_a regal African-American woman, originally with the First Armored Division_) serving as his adjutant.

And it was the latter who began this top-secret briefing (_at an approving nod from General Ross_) by flashing a laser pointer upon a map of North America.

"Gentlemen? As I'm sure the both of you know, our task force pursued the Thing northward into Ontario, Canada. Then, westward to British Columbia. Then, southward into California. Then, eastward to Louisiana. Northward, again, as far as Illinois. Then, back to the East Coast. In all that time, he inflicted millions of dollars in property damage. Yet, no one was ever killed. Not even collaterally! A miraculous coincidence? Or something more?"

Captain Kelly was the first to speak up (_after raising his hand to be acknowledged, of course_).

"Begging your pardon, ma'am. Are you suggesting that the Thing might have been more in control of his emotions than he appeared?"

"Close, captain. I'm suggesting that he was more likely under someone else's control!"

"I'm afraid I don't follow, ma'am."

Colonel Strock was more than willing to elaborate. "In the process of leaping and bounding, from Ontario to British Columbia, the Thing destroyed a fleet of snowplows. More specifically? The ones responsible for keeping the only road to and from Port Radium, in the Northwest Territories, open during the winter. Thereby delaying a vital shipment of radioactive elements to Oscorp."

"Then, in northern California, he sent a Japanese freighter to the bottom of San Francisco Bay. A __refrigerated__ freighter bringing computer superconductors, manufactured by Fujikawa Industries, to the West Coast branch of Stark Enterprises. With whom Oscorp is currently engaged in a solar energy research project!"

"Then, in New Orleans, the Thing destroyed an Oscorp-owned factory that manufactures water-desalinizing equipment for the West Indies. Following which, he demolished a Chicago shipyard that builds submersibles for deep-sea oil exploration... by Oscorp. Are you gentlemen beginning to see a pattern, here?"

Once more, Captain Kelly raised his hand. "Ma'am! Are you hinting that Oscorp is building some kind of... nuclear sub? And the Thing was somehow manipulated into sabotaging them?"

Colonel Strock nodded. "Affirmative."

"That's preposterous!" General Gordon now spoke up in retort. "Oscorp's not a naval contractor."

"Not officially, sir," replied Strock. "But, given his '_colorful_' reputation, Norman Osborn might have been recruited for an off-the-books project. One __without__ Presidential or Congressional approval."

General Gordon looked at his ex-roommate. "Thad? What's your opinion on this?"

General Ross exhaled on his cigar before replying.

"Colonel Strock was a cavalry scout for the 19th Armored Reconnaissance Detachment before being seconded by G-2 as an intelligence analyst. She is therefore trained to ignore the big picture and focus, instead, on smaller details that appear anomalous. And that training helped us anticipate a good number of the Thing's movements."

Yet, General Gordon refused to give up his skepticism without a fight. "If you're so sure she's right, why don't the two of you take these suspicions straight to Washington?"

"Because, Ross' Rockhounds had one mandate," the Air Force veteran replied. "And that's been met. Which means, in less than thirty-six hours, our task force will officially cease to exist! The only way we can obtain credible proof of our suspicions, in that time frame, is to subject Ben Grimm to a psi-scan. Courtesy of your woman, Nightveil! Think you could arrange that for us?"

General Gordon carefully nodded, adding, "She's not at FF HQ, at the moment. But, I can have one of her teammates contact her from Orlando. Good enough, for now?"

General Ross nodded. Whereupon, the two ex-roommates stood up and shook hands. While Capt. Kelly and Col. Strock saluted each other. On their departure from the fort's main administration building, however, Captain Kelly promptly activated the sound-proof panel of Plexiglas between the back seat of the general's limousine and their MP chauffeur.

"With all due respect, sir? This is going to complicate matters. Immensely... and needlessly!"

"Heh!" snorted his commanding officer. "Tell me something I don't know!"

* * * * *

At that same moment, in a Victorian mansion (hovering somewhat incongruously-yet-invisibly over the Florida Everglades), sat the aforementioned Nightveil. Nee Laura Wright; and formerly known as "_The Blue Bulleteer_" (gun-slinging vigilante of the World War II era)! But, better known nowadays as... the Sorceress Supreme.

**tbc**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Nightveil had inherited her (slightly modified) job title from her predecessor, Dr. Stephen Strange, after he had heroically sacrificed himself in preventing the extra-dimensional Undying Ones from returning to Earth. But, as her responsibilities with FemForce necessitated her residing in Florida, the Greenwich Village brownstone once owned by Dr. Strange was taken over by Jethro "_the Green Lama_" Dumont. The latter coming out of retirement, to Shangri-La, in order to once more serve as New York City's resident protector against supernatural evil. True! He had been gone for nearly sixty years. Yet, with the aid of Dr. Strange's manservant, Wong (who was, himself, the grandson of Dumont's own former manservant, Tsarong), the Green Lama was readjusting to the modern world relatively well.

It was his astral body that now "_sat_" before Nightveil within the living room of her levitating mansion. Sitting next to him was someone just as auspicious. The loa, or deceased spirit, of Daniel Drumm. Predecessor and identical twin of the current Brother Voodoo, Dr. Jericho Drumm.

"Are you about this, Jethro?" their hostess now asked.

The Green Lama nodded. "Positive! The last time I felt such energy was during the Battle of Mount Wundagore. Ben Grimm was definitely being controlled by Chthonic magic."

"That doesn't necessarily mean it was a cult of Chthon-worshippers," Nightveil countered.

"Perhaps not," replied Daniel Drumm. "Yet, the Bovier sisters sensed it, too. The fragile truce between them was imposed by my brother. And neither one of them would hesitate, for a second, to latch on to that much mystical power in order to have sole dominion over New Orleans!"

"Oh, great," muttered Nightveil. "A potential mystic turf war. Just what I did __not__ need!"

The Green Lama chuckled. "You knew the job would be a difficult one when you took it!"

Nightveil was on the verge of half-seriously retorting when her crystal ball, the Orb of Agamotto, began to rapidly blink, off-and-on, in an all-too familiar pattern.

"We'll have to continue this discussion some other time, gentlemen. I'm needed in Washington!"

**THE WHITE HOUSE (**_5 MINUTES EARLIER_**)**

President Paul Destine was at his desk, in the Oval Office, signing some papers, when he heard it. The breaking of glass; the screams of female staff members; demands for someone to halt; gunfire when that someone apparently refused to heed; and the screams of his Secret Service bodyguards when their gunfire proved ineffective. All of it culminating with the main door to the Oval Office being turned into veritable kindling by the person who came barging through it!

The mutant mercenary known as Sabertooth.

"Hi ya, Mr. President! I'm here to tear you to pieces... in the name of the Brotherhood of Mutants."

"Sorry," replied the Chief Executive. "I'm afraid I've never heard of them."

"That's funny! A little bird told me you were behind what happened to them, a year-and-a-half ago."

**ANTARCTICA (****_18 MONTHS EARLIER_****)**

It was a nineteenth century Italian whaling captain who had first named the volcanic island "_New Vesuvius_." But, it was Erich Magnus Lehnsherr, alias Magneto, who had turned it into a base of operations for his self-styled brotherhood. The lot of them had just fled from their ill-fated attempt to extort equal rights for mutants by taking over a U.S. nuclear missile base known as Cape Citadel. The attempt thwarted by none other than Captain Paragon and the Sentry!

That the Sentry had been killed by their youngest member, Rogue, by the absorption of his life force (thereby resulting in her permanently gaining his powers) was of no consolation to the Mutant Master of Magnetism.

"Fear not, brothers and sisters. This sanctuary lies within a hundred miles of the South Magnetic Pole. Ergo, the spy satellites of the U.S. government will not be able to find us, here."

Unfortunately, for him, this pronouncement proved premature. For, suddenly, the blind precognitive Destiny (_nee Irenie Adler_) became stiff of posture.

"Beware!" she exclaimed. "We are under attack."

As if to remove any doubt of that fact, a pink sword-like blade impaled her from behind. Simultaneously, two pink humanoids suddenly appeared to the left and right of the hyper-obese Blob! Each of them using a suddenly needle-thin index finger to skewer the otherwise impenetrable mutant through his brain via his ears! Magneto immediately knew, from their literally blank-eyed stare, that these humanoids were robots of some kind. Yet, when he tried to magnetically tear them apart... nothing happened! Consequently, when he shouted to the super-swift Quicksilver to do something, it was the last thing he ever did.

Prior to being dismembered.

The same thing happened to the amazingly agile Mortimer Toynbee (alias "_The Toad_"). Quicksilver was able to avoid an identical fate for several minutes. All in an attempt to buy time for his sister, the Scarlet Witch, to be evacuated by the Vanisher via teleportation! While Rogue used her new super-powers to simply fly Sabretooth out of there. Ultimately, however, superior numbers hemmed him in all sides. Ninety seconds after that, only Unus the Untouchable was still alive.

And when he noticed trumpet-shaped protuberances emerge from the humanoids' otherwise featureless faces, he snickered.

"What are you planning to do, ladies? Smother me to death with blown kisses?"

As it turns out, he was half-right. Those trumpet-shaped protuberances began to emit poison gas. One of the few things his oxygen-permeable forcefield could __not__ repel!

**THE WHITE HOUSE (****_PRESENT DAY_****)**

"I'm gonna flay you a piece at a time, Destine, till you admit your culpability."

Before Sabretooth could make good on that threat, however, he suddenly felt himself hit from behind by what felt like a diamond-hard cannonball! And the next thing he knew, he was out on the White House lawn by the world-famous Rose Garden. Literally on his hands and knees before a blue-eyed, redheaded beauty in a form-fitting red unitard with a matching, cat-eared mask. And offset by white, fur-rimmed boots with matching claw-tipped gloves!

"Bad kitty!" said She-Cat of FemForce. "Trying to see the POTUS without an appointment. Mama's got to spank!"

Sabretooth slowly got back on his feet.

"You and what army, beeyotch?"

Whereupon, he lunged at her without warning! But, She-Cat, of course, was an expert at feline body language and had seen the anticipatory tensing up of muscles getting ready to spring. Consequently, she sprang upward, herself, at the penultimate moment. Somersaulting and twisting at the zenith of that leap so that she came down facing the small of Sabretooth's back.

Raking her claws straight down along it.

"ARRRRRRGH!" screamed the mutant mercenary.

She-Cat grinned. "You're up, again, Vic!"

In direct response to this, a red-white-and-blue blur came rushing down from the sky. Stopping just long enough to reveal Ms. Victory! A blonde, blue-eyed woman in a form-fitting leotard and mask of those three aforementioned colors. And a woman who subsequently grabbed Sabretooth by the ankles... before hauling him up into the sky, upside-down!

"YAHHHHH!" Sabretooth screamed, again (though, this time, more in startled shock than angry pain). "Put me down, you beeeeeeeeeee...!"

"As you wish," Ms. Victory chuckled, having calculated that they had already reached the desired height of two hundred feet, anyway.

For, as planned, he landed in the right palm of "_Too Tall Tara_" Fremont. Yet another member of FemForce! Initially recruited as an expert in jungle survival, for what was intended to be one mission, only. But, now, a full-time member serving as the team's other part-time giantess.

This hundred-foot-tall, raven-haired brunette, wearing a jungle camouflage-pattern leotard (likewise made of SpandeXX), grinned as she clenched her right hand into a fist. Pinning Sabretooth's arms to his side. Whereupon, she began spanking his posterior... with flicks of her gigantic left index finger!

"OW! OW! Stop that, you...! OW!"

Ms. Victory (_nee Joan Wayne_) continued chuckling as she observed this bizarre-yet-strangely-appropriate form of punishment. That is, till Nightveil- -the one who had teleported them here from their Orlando, Florida, headquarters- -reappeared.

"How's the POTUS?" asked the former.

"Physically, unhurt. Just startled."

"I'd be surprised if he wasn't," replied Ms. Victory. "So, why do you look so grim?"

"I took the opportunity to psi-scan Sabretooth as you were airlifting him. And I saw the incident he was alluding to, in his memories. Magneto and most of his mutant accomplices were basically massacred! By pink, rubbery-looking robots of a type I've only seen only once before. In our files concerning... the Leader!"

"The Leader?!" echoed her teammate. "But, he's dead!"

"Presumed dead. No body was ever found."

Ms. Victory grimly considered this fact.

"We'd better hand over Sabretooth for special detainment. Then, reconvene in Orlando for a confab."

Nightveil nodded. "Agreed."

**tbc**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Spider-man used the ensuing first few moments of speechlessness to explain both his presence. . .and his present diminutive state.

"I had just reached the base of Atlas' neck when you threw that sleeper hold on him," he eventually concluded: "Unfortunately, I couldn't get out of the way in time. As a result? I wound up getting pinned beneath your right arm pit. Where, uh, due to the, uh, lack of fresh air, I, uh, passed out. The next thing I know? I'm a dance floor made of white linoleum, trying to avoid being squished beneath the feet of a fifty foot-tall flamenco dancer!"

"Hmmm!" said Colt: "When Garganta resumed normal size, you must have shrunk in direct proportion. But, such being the case, the only way I can see you regaining your normal size is for Garganta to re-enact the process in reverse!"

"Oh, no!" exclaimed the blonde woman in question: "If you think I'm putting that wall-crawling little perv back on my alabaster body, you've got another think coming. In fact, I now have twice as much reason to take my rudely interrupted shower!"

Whereupon, she stormed back into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

Spider-man looked at the Weapons Mistress.

"You don't honestly think I stowed away on her, on purpose, do you?"

Colt smiled: "Of course not! And I'm sure Carol doesn't, either. At least, not once she has a chance to get over her initial sense of startlement and calm down enough to reconsider your story. Until then, however, you'd better stay out of her way."

"In that case," replied the webslinger: ". . .would you mind telling me why you two ladies were doing at the airport? And what Atlas might've been after?"

Colt began her side of the story by telling him about the origin of the Federal Emergency Missions Force.

"It all started, during World War II, when the team's founders united to prevent the abduction of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt by Nazi spies! She was so grateful that she persuaded her husband to keep them together as a special unit, composed purely of women. . .and answerable only to her. Of course, when the war ended, the unit was disbanded. Only to be reactivated, twenty years later, to battle Communist super-villains and other extraordinary public menaces! With Carol and myself among the most recent additions to the team."

"As to what we were doing at JFK? We were there to safeguard an L. A. attorney. . .named Jennifer Walters."

Whereupon, Colt revealed that her late husband had been the partner of an FBI agent named Richard Mason. And how, six months earlier, he had contacted her about helping him with an undercover assignment. More specifically? Acting as messenger between him and his FBI handler. For Agent Mason was trying to gather incriminating evidence against Los Angeles crime lord Nicholas Trask. But, the latter was paranoid about everyone who worked for him! So, if the Weapons Mistress were to become an exotic dancer at a nightclub owned by Trask, Mason could pass messages to her (and vice-versa). . .

. . .hidden inside folded hundred dollar bills.

"Sounds like you had a foolproof system," remarked the shrunken webslinger: "What went wrong?"

"I don;t know. Somehow, Rick blew his cover, leading to Trask personally killing him. But, not wanting to go to the gas chamber for it, he framed the club's manger, Lou Monkton, for the murder. Telling the local cops on his payroll that Lou and Rick had been arguing over me! That's b-s, though. Because Lou is gayer than Paris! And I anonymously told his court-appointed lawyer, Jennifer Walters, as much."

"Imagine my great concern, then, when I was contacted, just as anonymously, by someone telling me that Walters was about to be ambushed by some of Trask's hit men before she could divulge this info to the Feds!"

With the help of a bio-electrical FemForce teammate named Dina Morisi (who works as a Hollywood stunt woman in her spare time), Colt was motorcycled to the scene of the ambush. Alas! While they managed to capture the hit men, they did not succeed in preventing at least one shot from being fired. A shot that critically wounded Jennifer Walters. Necessitating her being put into cryogenic hibernation before she could be flown to New York City for a life-saving operation by Dr. Donald Blake.

"Wouldn't it be easier for this Dr. Blake to be flown out West for the operation?" Spider-man logically inquired.

Colt shook her head: "Believe it or not, he's acrophobic! In any case, I was later phoned by the same anonymous snitch, who told me that an attempt was going to be made to abduct her cryo-tube at JFK Airport. And that I should arrange with Garganta to prevent that. Hence, the FBI loaning us this safehouse."

Meanwhile, at 20 Ingram Street, in the Forest Hills region of Queens County, Stella Stargaze waited even more impatiently than her hostesses for a phone call from Peter Parker. For that would mean she was free and clear to return to the airport for her the remainder of her luggage! So, in an attempt to curb that impatience, May Parker politely asked what brought Flash Thompson's celebrity aunt to New York City.

"I'm going to do a week-long special edition of my talk show from here," replied the erstwhile magician's assistant: "And I thought I could make your nephew's wife one of my opening night guests."

MaryJane's eyes fairly bulged with amazement as she stammered in reply.

"M-M-Me?!"

Stella Stargaze smiled with malicious glee: "Why not? If nothing else, you can tell everyone by what not-so-small miracle you landed the title role in the upcoming 'Thunderfox' movie!"

"Thunderfox" was a popular comic strip about a redheaded superheroine with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal women. And a major motion picture studio in Hollywood had recently won a bidding war to adapt it for a live-action feature film. Yet, just as May Parker was trying to formulate a firm-but-polite rebuke of her guest's thinly-disguised insult, there was a knock at her front door.

"I'll get it!" she exclaimed: "That's probably Peter, right now."

But, it was not. Instead, May Parker opened the door to behold a man dressed like someone from the year 1900. A young man with black hair and matching moustache; and dressed in clothing appropriate to that period. A yellow, round-brimmed straw hat of the type once known as a "skimmer." A black bow tie offset by a white shirt, green blazer, white slacks, and brown shoes. And a man's parasol.

"Pardon my intrusion, dear lady. But, do I have the honor of addressing the aunt of the noted photojournalist, Peter Parker?"

"Yes. How may I help you?"

"Simply by not screaming."

Whereupon, he raised his parasol. . .and fired a pencil-thin beam of yellow light from it. A beam that shrank May Parker down to six inches in height!

tbc


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**THE UNITED KINGDOM OF NEW CAMELOT, EARTH-82633 (JUNE 13, 2020)**

A small Welsh village roughly equidistant between Whitland and Laugharne.

For their own safety, the villagers had been evacuated by the local military. But, what was even more disturbing, for all concerned, was the fact that there were only four Knights of New Camelot left! King Arno the Iron-hearted, himself; resplendent in his red-and-gold battle armor. Habren '_Ultra-merch_' Sillafu; bewitching reincarnation of the ancient Egyptian Princess Anirbas. Captain Arwr; nee Jwgpen Senoj (mutant son of Rhisiart and Marged Senoj). And, last, but not last? Andreas Bolltbwa-Senoj; officially, the good captain's adoptive brother from Kent. But, in reality, the naturalized alien immigrant (half-Kree/half-Dakkamite) more publicly known and beloved as...

...the mighty Purgalon!

It was the latter who now asked the king the question that was uppermost in all their minds.

"Do you really think he'll join us, Your Majesty?"

The last living descendant of King Anthony the Great grimly paused before replying. "He's the traditional guardian of Wales. I don't think he'll have any other alternative."

As if on cue, a massive teleportal opened to their left.

"Here he comes!" exclaimed Ultra-merch, with a relieved smile on her face.

"Just in time, too," added Captain Arwr. "Look!"

For another massive teleportal began to open, diagonally opposite to the first. And what emerged from it was truly frightening to behold! A purple-and-green monstrosity that resembled nothing less than a cross... between Wolverine and Fin Fang Foom.

All horrified speechlessness ended, however, when Ddraig Goch- -the ancient red dragon- -came flying out of the first portal.

"Duw a Chymru!" he roared at the top of his fire-breathing lungs. To which the four remaining Knights added (no less vociferously): "Long live the UK!"

Ten minutes later, though, Dr. Victor Von Doom, Latveria's cyborg ambassador to New Camelot (and, thus, one of the few surviving Latverians left in the whole world), turned off the holographic image that his drones had been transmitting to him. He then turned to the stranger standing next to him. A yellow-bearded man, in a crimson costume, with various lightning bolt insignia at the shoulders, across the chest, and around the waist.

"You'd best be off to warn everyone else. It's only a matter of time before he visits their worlds."

The yellow-bearded man nodded. Disappearing in the proverbial flash.

**DOME OF UATU, BLUE AREA OF THE MOON (EARTH-90816)**

Jean Grey gave full vent to her rage. Her Phoenix powers flaring up to almost full intensity! But, then, it happened. Suddenly, she was on her knees, hands pressed against her closed eyelids as she tried to shut out the mental images now flooding her consciousness.

Tried, but failed.

"What...? Who...?"

"What you're trying to assimilate, Jeannie, are the memories of your counterpart from the universe of Earth-82432. A parallel universe of which she is one of the few survivors!"

Cyclops, deputy leader of the X-men, looked at the speaker in nearly dumbfounded amazement. "Logan?!"

The slightly shorter man before him did, indeed, resemble the Canadian mutant known as Wolverine. Only, now, he looked forty years older than when he had disappeared less than thirty seconds ago! Plus, he now wore only a pair of buckskin pants (with matching boots) and a long, orange-colored cloak of some kind.

"I know what you're gonna ask, Cyke. But, I only have time to give you the Evelyn Wood version. I got sent back to the Hyborian Age, where I switched places with Conan, here. I became partners with his ex-girlfriend, Red Sonja. We eventually became king and queen of a country called Aquilonia. And, last year (from my p.o.v.), I became the new owner of the Sword of Epimetreus on which is embossed a magical phoenix symbol... that I used to merge Jeannie and her counterpart."

"It's true," said the erstwhile Marvel Girl. "And I even know why he did it! Thanks to '_her_' memories."

"Which is all the more reason we have to leave," replied Old Man Logan. "Right now!"

Whereupon he glared at his shadow cloak '_confiscated_' from a now-dead mutant hit man named Simon Payne. This, in turn, caused it to stretch outward, like Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, to ensnare both the Phoenix and its wearer within its folds. That is; prior to disappearing, with both of them, by seeming to shrink in on itself!

MEANWHILE, BACK ON EARTH-774...

"May!" screamed MJ.

Simultaneously, before anyone could stop him, Flash Thompson charged forward, hoping to tackle this odd assailant to the ground before he could react. Alas! That hope was dashed all too quickly as the erstwhile football star was promptly shrunken down in size, as well!

"Allow me to introduce myself, ladies," said the intruder. "My name is Turner D. Century. And the only reason you're still normal-sized is so you can deliver this message to young Mr. Parker without any further hindrance, whatsoever. The message being that, if he wishes his aunt returned to him (alive, unharmed, and re-enlarged), he is to contact Spider-man and have him break into Latimer Labs. There, the webslinger is to make off with a device called the Jimenez Time Triangle. And, then, bring it to the Kranpuf Estate on Fire Island no later than midnight tonight!"

"If that deadline is not met, or if the police are called in, for any reason, then Mrs. Parker will be crushed like the proverbial bug. Literally, underfoot!"

Whereupon, Turner D. Century bent down and picked up the still-stunned May in his left hand. Following which, he ran out the door and down the front sidewalk to an awaiting tandem bicycle. The front seat of which was occupied by someone MJ recognized from her husband's personal book of mugshots: Phineas Mason, alias '_The_ _Tinkerer_'. And it was the sound of approaching police sirens that made the two of them start pedaling, and as a result, the tandem bicycle started ascending high into the air!

To her credit, MJ wasted no further time. She immediately whipped out her cellphone and speed-dialed Peter, while Stella Stargaze hurriedly closed the front door before bending down and picking up her still-stunned nephew.

"What's up, MJ?" inquired her husband, upon answering after the first pair of rings.

"Peter? Are you all right? Your voice sounds very faint."

"It was that run-in with Atlas, at the airport," her husband replied. "It left me feeling... a little down."

"Well, grab yourself a granola power bar from one of the vending machines," she ordered. "Because, you're going to need all your strength for what I'm about to tell you."

She then relayed Turner D. Century's ultimatum. After which, she asked him what he was going to do.

"I think I might know somebody who can help us," he replied. "I'll get back to you, with full details, ASAP."

He then turned off the cellphone before looking up at Colt the Weapons Mistress.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My shutterbug's aunt was just kidnapped by somebody demanding my help in stealing something called '_The_ _Time Triangle_' from Latimer Labs. I've never heard of such a gizmo. But, if you and your gal-pals have the government connections you claim, maybe you could find out what that is and help me obtain it."

Colt initially hesitated in answering that question. And, even then, she did so by asking two more questions!

"Who's the kidnapper? And what does he want with whatever it is?"

"Turner D. Century. A lunatic with a fetish for the Victorian era! And he didn't say __why__ he wanted it. Only when. By midnight! Which is..."

"Just over eight hours from now," Colt finished muttering more to herself than to him.

"So, what do you say?" insisted the shrunken webslinger. "Will you help me or not?"

"We'll help," replied Garganta as she re-entered the kitchen area, fully dressed. "And I know just which members of the FF to contact."

**GLOSSARY**

**Earth-82633:** _divergent reality created when a double-crossing Dr. Doom left Tony 'Iron Man' Stark stranded in Arthurian Britain. Resulting in Tony succeeding King Arthur, himself, and eventually founding a Utopian empire that spanned half the world! First glimpsed in strongWHAT IF...? #33/strong (June, 1982)._

**Earth-90816:** _parallel Earth that debuted, as summarized, in strongWHAT IF. . .? (v.2) #16/strong (Aug. 1990)._


End file.
